Sometimes it takes youth to lead us to the next place, to revive rock ‘n’ roll by taking the old and putting a new spin on it. Fourteen-year-old Jack West conjures memories of Kurt Cobain with his lanky, shoulder-length hair and piercing gaze. It’s no mistake that he’s performed with Eddie Vedder before 30,000 at a concert in Nashville or that he collaborated with renowned Seattle producer Barrett Jones (Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Jawbox) at his famed Laundry Room Studio on West’s debut, eight-song offering, For the Record (due out 8/2).
Take a listen to West’s impressive bow, and hear elements of Neil Young, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, The Doors and Nivana. After all, his father first turned him on to Pearl Jam when he was all of two, and he was four before he became fascinated with Jim Morrison. It wasn’t long after that Jack West retreated to his bedroom, where he obsessively laid down the piano, guitar, bass and drum tracks on Logic, eventually compiling 18 tracks, eight of which he and Barrett Jones chose to make For the Record, a nod to both old-school vinyl records and Jack’s first official recordings made public.
“That’s what I listen to,” he says of the influences on his first record, “My favorite band is the Red Hot Chili Peppers, though I realize there’s not much of them in my music… maybe just a little.”
Like Neil Young, Jack West is at his most comfortable alone in his makeshift studio, dealing with his own self-imposed isolation through music. “None of my friends are into this kind of music,” he laughs. “They’re all into rap and stuff, know what I mean?”
“I love Rochester, but when I’m 18, I’m out of here… know what I mean?” he says. “L.A. is where I want to live.”
Glide is proud to premiere the official video for Jack West’s “Revival” an enticing peek at the creative motions of a burgeoning and poignant artist. West makes for the reincarnation of a young Jack White with a scrappy roots punk voice that summons radio listenability and rock ferocity on this electric track.
“The inspiration for the video was to show the ‘re-writing’ process and the obsession of trying to improve a song and make it the best it can be,” says West. “In some cases, even working on it right up until the gig, which I constantly do. I am always taking my original songs and trying to improve on them before I perform them for the first time. The video is filmed in B&W and ends in color, showing the evolution of a finished song. NYC was the perfect place to film – it’s filled with people from all over the world that come here to reinvent themselves… filled with hope, and anything is possible.”
One Response
Jack you are the best peace love Rodney